The present invention relates generally to an electrical connector and, more particularly, to a combined circuit board stacking and right angle electrical connector.
For certain electrical interconnect applications it is necessary to provide both circuit board stacking and right angle interconnecting functions. This is typically accomplished by using a two-part separable connector for the stacking interconnect function and an additional connector for the right angle interconnect function.
The foregoing conventional arrangement has a number of shortcomings if it becomes necessary to replace the circuit boards, or devices on the boards, or replace the connectors if the contacts therein become damaged. In the case of both types of connectors, if it is necessary to separate the connectors from the circuit board, one must desolder all of the contacts to remove the connector from the board. Even if the contacts are press-fit into holes in the board, rather than soldered, it is very difficult to remove the connector from the board without damaging either the board or the connector, or the contacts therein.
In the case of the conventional multi-row right angle connector, right angle contacts of different lengths are mounted in a common plane, one behind the other. If one of the right angle contacts behind the first row of contacts becomes damaged, all of the contacts in front of the damaged contact must be removed in order to replace the damaged contact. This is time-consuming, and sometimes results in some of the right angle contacts becoming damaged during the replacement operation.
One object of the present invention is to provide a single connector assembly that combines circuit board stacking and right angle interconnecting functions and can be readily removed from the circuit boards if the boards or the connector require repair.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a right angle connector in which each right angle contact may be easily removed even in the case where the contact is mounted behind additional right angle contacts, without removing such additional contacts.
According to a principal aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical connector that integrates circuit board stacking and right angle interconnecting functions. The connector contains straight stacking contacts that extend between opposite faces of the connector body against which the circuit boards are mounted. The contacts having mating end sections adjacent to such faces. A plurality of right angle contact assemblies are also mounted in the connector body. One end of the right angle contacts terminate adjacent to one of the faces of the connector body and also include mating end sections. The mating end sections of the stacking contacts and right angle contacts are releasably connected to mating contacts on the circuit boards so that the boards can be released from the connector without desoldering and without the force required to separate press-fit contacts as in the conventional interconnect assembly, as described earlier herein, that can result in damage to the boards. The interconnection between the contacts in the connector and the boards is a simple pin and socket connection.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a right angle electrical connector. Each right angle contact is a two-part contact assembly in which the inner ends of the contact parts interconnect with each other at an intersection point between right angle contact passages that meet in the connector body. Even if a particular right angle contact assembly is mounted behind another contact assembly in the connector body, the inner contact assembly can be removed by simply removing the separate contact parts out of the connector body through the respective right angle contact passages.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.